Korean shipyards again sweep world's No.1-5 rankings in July-Nov.

Korean shipyards ranked No. 1 through No. 5 in terms of order backlogs worldwide as of the end of November, a London-based market researcher said Sunday.

"Chinese and Japanese shipbuilders would have much difficulty in overtaking South Korean rivals, as shipyards here are consistently winning orders with focus on high-valued LNG carriers," said an official at the Korea Shipbuilders Association.

The world's largest shipyard, Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., retained its top spot with an order backlog of 13.47 million compensated gross tons (CGT), according to a report by Clarkson Plc.

CGT refers to a measure of building time and human resources used per ton, which reflects not only the size of the ship but also the complexity of the work involved in building a sophisticated and high-value vessel.

Samsung Heavy Industries Co. overtook its rival Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. to place second with an order backlog of 9.23 million tons, the report said.

Daewoo Shipbuilding was third with 7.61 million tons, trailed by Hyundai Heavy Industries' subsidiary Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co, with 4.06 million tons, it said.

Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co. was fifth with 3.06 tons, according to the report. China's Dalian New Ship Heavy Industry Co. trailed with 2.74 million tons.